Victor Wembanyama and 2-time Kia MVP Nikola Jokic faced off for the 1st time during Week 6 of the 2023-24 season.
Stay up to date on No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama during his rookie campaign with the San Antonio Spurs. A new Wemby Watch drops every Sunday during the season. Here’s what we saw this week:
A taste of San Antonio 🍔
The choice is yours if you’d like a taste of Wemby-mania in San Antonio. Two local restaurants offer Wembanyama-inspired hamburgers, and they’re sure to leave you stuffed.
At local restaurant Chris Madrid’s, you can try the $18 Wemby Burger, which squeezes the competitive juices of customers with the accompanying Wemby Burger Challenge. The burger features four patties stacked and fused with gobs of melted cheddar cheese.
Sooooo, who's come by to take the Wemby Burger Challenge? 🍔🏀 🙌 Did you make it on the Wemby Burger Wall of Fame?
There's plenty of time! We'll be celebrating all season. 😉 Let's eat, drink, watch the Spurs, and be merry! 🏀🎄 #ChrisMadrids #WembyBurgerChallenge pic.twitter.com/nD6tR3QP5m
— Chris Madrids (@chrismadrids) November 28, 2023
Chris Madrid finishes off the burger with a commemorative mini Wembanyama toothpick stuck in the top of the bun. If you can devour every last bite, you’ll win a T-shirt before taking a snapshot that will land you on the Wemby Burger Challenge Wall of Fame in the restaurant.
Want something a little more highbrow?
Well, the Roo Pub offers a Wemby Burger made with Kobe Beef which includes French foie gras, black truffle garlic aioli sauce and French onion strings.
Yum.
On The Court 🏀
This past week saw Wemby experience a couple of NBA firsts.
The rookie huffed and puffed in the altitude of Denver for the first time Sunday, admitting he struggled at times to catch his breath. Wembanyama still managed to make history with 22 points, 11 rebounds, a season-high six steals and four blocks in just 25 minutes.
That statline made him the first player in league annals to hit those numbers in fewer than 35 minutes on the floor.
Fast forward to Friday, when Wembanyama sat out of a game for the first time.
The club listed the rookie as questionable the night before against Atlanta due to right hip soreness. With San Antonio playing the second night of a back-to-back Friday at New Orleans, the Spurs decided against risking injury to Wembanyama.
1-man highlight reel 🤯
Wembanyama continues to display some spectacular moves during his rookie campaign. NBA TV’s Brendan Haywood breaks it down below.
This week in House of Haywood, Brendan Haywood highlights how Victor Wembanyama works the behind-the-back dribble.
Praise from former MVP 👏
Two-time Kia MVP Nikola Jokic knows a little something about dominant post play in the NBA. The 28-year-old was impressed by what he saw from Wembanyama when the big men clashed in San Antonio on Nov. 26.
“He’s 19 years old, he’s not getting scared or tired,” Jokic said of the rookie. “He’s playing hard, and doesn’t take it for granted. He’s making mistakes, which is normal. The media around him doesn’t help, but he’s going to get used to it. He’s going to change the game 100%. He’s already on that path. So, for all the guys, just enjoy, watch the show and let the guy change the game.”
Due to Zach Collins running into foul trouble, Wembanyama spent extended minutes at the center spot despite being officially listed as a power forward.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich likes the versatility Wembanyama provides in the frontcourt.
“I want him to play both,” the coach said. “I don’t want him just to be a perimeter player or just a post player. He can affect the game in both areas. So he’s got to get minutes in both [spots].”
Rookie reflection 💭
Wembayama attempted to commit some rookie-on-rookie crime Sunday with this failed dunk on Denver’s Julian Strawther late in the third quarter.
Luckily for the 29th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Wembanyama’s attempt missed the mark.
“[At first,] I don’t think he’s going to dunk it from that far,” Strawther said. “He went up and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s going to try to dunk it from that far.’ My life flashed before my eyes.”
Julian Strawther on what’s going through his mind when Victor Wembanyama is trying to dunk on him:
"I don’t think he’s going to dunk it from that far. He went up for the dunk and I was like, ‘Oh, he’s going to try to dunk it from that far.’ My life flashed before my eyes." pic.twitter.com/lvoUlV8bxA— Dan Weiss (@DanWeissPBP) November 27, 2023
On the road ✈️
Travel proved challenging for Wembanyama following the 137-135 loss on Thursday to Atlanta, mainly due to the rookie’s extensive postgame treatment and training routine.
In the aftermath of the game, most of the team and staff headed to the airport for an 11 p.m. flight headed to New Orleans ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Pelicans.
“What I’ve learned being here and hearing from many people [is] it’s more about maintaining the shape, the body weight, the strength,” Wembanyama said of his new in-season routine.
Not even five minutes into the postgame interview, a Spurs rep signaled to end the proceedings.
“Unfortunately, we’re late for the flight,” Wembanyama said before scurrying to the locker room.
At that moment, the clock read 10:48. The drive from Frost Bank Center to San Antonio International Airport takes 13 minutes, according to Google Maps.
So, it’s a safe bet the Spurs delayed their departure for New Orleans.
Circle On Calendar 📅
Wembanyama heads to Minnesota to take on fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert on Wednesday (7:30 ET, ESPN). We’ll see how the rookie fares in his second matchup against Timberwolves’ 7-footers in Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Spurs fell 117-110 in the first clash, one that counted for contention in the In-Season Tournament.
The Wemby effect 📈
Unsurprisingly, the 19-year-old French phenom generates big business.
Case in point: Wembanyama’s PSA Rookie trading card just sold on eBay for $35,000.
According to data comparing eBay searches in the United States and Canada, during the week of the rookie’s Oct. 25 debut, searches for “Wembanyama” memorabilia and trading cards climbed nearly 300% on the auction site compared to the week before.
Happy hunting.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
Michaela Gilmer is a producer for NBA.com.
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